Teams the New York Rangers Do and Do Not want to Face in the Playoffs

It was the great Ric Flair who once said, "In order to be the man, you've got to beat the man."

The Rangers still have 21 games left on their season, but their odds to going to the playoffs are bettering every day. They lead the 2nd place Boston Bruins by nine points in the standings, as the season winds down and gears up for what is looking like it is going to be a very interesting postseason.

So many teams in the Eastern Conference are in a jumble together right now, teams that have proved they can hang with the Rangers this year, and those who have yet to show it. This is a breakdown of the teams who the Rangers could potentially fare better against in the postseason.

Toronto Maple Leafs


The Rangers have lost to the Maple Leafs twice so far this year, but the last time was before the turn of 2012. The last time the Rangers and Leafs faced, the Rangers shut out the Leafs 3-0, as they shut down Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul who have became an explosive tandem this year. Since that time, the Leafs have dropped out of the playoff race, and are sitting on the outside looking in. Make no mistake, they are still very much alive in the standings despite being behind 8th place, but their overall play as of lately has taken a hard toll, and the team is in disarray. If the Rangers and Maple Leafs face off in the first round of the playoffs, I think the Rangers can show their true grit and take the Leafs in less than six games.

Winnipeg Jets


The Jets are young, nubile, and ripe for the picking. The Rangers were the only team to ever face the Atlanta Thrashers in the playoffs, and the New Jets have yet to beat the Rangers this season. In fact, out of the three games the Rangers and Jets have played this season, the Jets have only scored one goal against the Rangers, and that was back in their first meeting in October. The Jets are still in the honeymoon phase of their rebirth, and have yet to string together wins consistently. If they worm themselves into the playoffs, it would take a whole lot for the Jets to beat the Rangers.

Philadelphia Flyers


The team that the Rangers have held their number to all year long. The Rangers and Flyers were the "push" rivalry this year as the NHL really tried to gear their hatred for one another up for the Winter Classic. The Rangers have taken all four of the meetings this season so far, including the Winter Classic in major TV-scripted fashion. Ilya Bryzgalov has yet to pay a single dividend of his major contract signed this year, and it's lead to a very enigmatic goalie controversy between him and Sergei Bobrovsky. If the Rangers play the Flyers in the postseason, get ready for fireworks, both at center ice when two players drop the gloves, and in the Flyers net.

Major NYR Clinic Adjustment Announcement

If any avid fans read this, you're probably wondering where my usual pre-game post for the Rangers/Devils game is. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to be touching on in this article.

Going through my archive, I've noticed that my feature stories that aren't pre-game posts have dwindled. It seems as though the only thing I am doing now is saying the same thing over and over again, and it's even getting annoying for me rehashing the same opinions three or four times a week.

So, if anyone out there who reads this blog on the regular, this is a notice that I will not entirely  stop my pre-game predictions, but they will be showing up less regularly because of my want to write more original pieces rather than just the same piece over and over again.

As for tonight, though, I feel I owe this page a prediction for the game against the Devils tonight, so here it is.

Rangers win 2-1

Ilya Kovalchuk will get the lone goal for the Devils early on in the 1st.
Ryan Callahan will score to tie it up in the 2nd.
And Brad Richards will score to win the game in the 3rd.

Enjoy the game!

2/25/12 Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres

Break the walls dooooooooown.

Rangers against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Rangers are playing their second game in 24 hours, after a hard loss to the Islanders in a shootout. Backup goaltender Martin Biron gave Henrik Lundqvist a break in net, but he could not fight off the five hole attack of the Islanders. But tonight, the Rangers face a team that has only scored one goal on them so far this season. Tomas Vanek is the only player to score on the Rangers in regulation this season, as Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron have both pulled out victories over this scrambled Buffalo team this season.

One player who has been on his game in his hometown of Buffalo has been Ryan Callahan, the man who's scored both game-winners for the Rangers against Buffalo. Callahan has been performing very well against the Sabres this season, and I predict him to be a major catalyst for tonight's game against the Sabres.

The Diagnosis


Despite the fatigue from last nights game, I think the Rangers have much better odds tonight with Henrik Lundqvist stepping in goal. He has had a tremendous season so far, and for a team like the Sabres that are struggling, that gives Lundqvist and the Rangers better odds.

The Prediction


Rangers win 2-1

Ryan Callahan will get the initial goal for the Rangers
Jason Pominville will tie the game up late in the 2nd.
And Carl Hagelin will get the game winner half way through the 3rd.

Enjoy the game!

Rangers Fan Reality Check: Calm Down, People

I'm starting to write this in the waning moments of the Penguins game, so if the Rangers win, this is all just irrelevant.

The Rangers lost badly to the Penguins tonight, and just like clockwork, I see everyone I know on every fan page freaking out over one loss. We here at the Clinic are here to plead with you: put your pants back on and relax you crazy people.

Years of following the Rangers has taught me a lot about myself. It taught me to not be too emotionally attached to games, because if you are and you are a Rangers fan, you're going to be more testy that a high school girl during that time of the month. It taught me that some problems cannot be solved with drastic changes to any environment; hence why most lucrative free-agent signings for the Rangers never panned out. And most importantly, it taught me to respect a good thing when I have it.

The game is not even over, and I have already seen #wewantavery or #wewantnash on Twitter and Facebook. People are freaking out over this one game, and it frankly annoys the living crap out of me. Why am I not upset? Because it's a small ripple of the season. Yes, I'm not happy that they lost, but I'm not frustrated to the point where I suggest we overhaul the team over a loss to a very good hockey team.

2/21/12 Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Knibb High Football Rules!

Rangers against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Rangers and Penguins meet for the fourth time this season, the second time in Pittsburgh. The Rangers have taken two out of the three previous meetings, while the Penguins took the most recent one on Jan. 19 to the score of 4-1. The Rangers are coming off of a quick OT game against Columbus two nights ago where the Jackets tied it up late, but Derek Stepan managed to tuck one in 22 seconds into the overtime period to win the game. The Rangers played a fairly solid game for the most part against the Jackets, held the puck for most of the game, and seemed to control the tempo. But a late-game gaffe when Rick Nash sniped one over the shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist sent the game to OT. The Rangers are playing very well as of recently. They have won five out of their last six games, and Henrik Lundqvist has been absolutely stellar when called upon. Players are stepping up and scoring, and the team seems to be just as cohesive as they have been all season. But tonight, they face a very amped up Pittsburgh team.

Despite not having Sidney Crosby for so long, the Pens have dug into their bag of tricks and have pulled out a team that has been able to hang with the rest of the division. James Neal and Evgeni Malkin have combined for most of the Penguins goals, and have lead the team through troubled times. Despite the lack of Crosby, the Penguins are just as dangerous.

2/19/12 Rangers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

He wanted to go to heaven ,so I took him in seven.

Rangers against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Rangers are playing their first game since they laid an egg against the Chicago Blackhawks, allowing four goals very early on, a deficit they were not able to overcome. Rangers backup Martin Biron let four goals in in the first period, and they Rangers could not climb the mountain as they lost 4-2. Now, the Rangers are looking for a major rebound against a team that has been chattering with the Rangers about possibly trading their star player to, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Henrik Lundqvist will be getting the start tonight against the Jackets, as he is 2-2-0 in his career against the team.

The Blue Jackets are a team lost in the woods. Jeff Carter is reluctant to play hard, and is dragging the team down, and a looming attempt to trade their shining star in Rick Nash is bringing everything crumbling down in Ohio.

2/16/11 Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks

It's going to be legen-wait for it...

Rangers against the Chicago Blackhawks.

For the first time of two meetings this year, the Rangers and Blackhawks are squaring up in a battle between two original six franchises.

The Rangers are in the midst of a four game win streak. After beating Boston 3-0, where it seemed the team struggled for a bit, but Henrik Lundqvist did not, stopping every one of those 42 shots he faced. Ryan Callahan managed to chip in another goal that night, his sixth goal in his last four games. The offense is beginning to pick up for the Rangers again, after they went stagnant earlier this month where a powerplay goal couldn't be bought by the Rangers. Now, that has improved too, and along with the penalty kill, the Rangers are running a bit smoother when up or down a man. One of the big factors I think is going to need to step up tonight is Carl Hagelin. The Blackhawks are a very fast team, and if the Rangers give Patrick Kane or Johnathan Toews any room, they can make the most of it. In order for the Rangers to get a leg up on that, they will need Hagelin to be explosive tonight.